We are very pleased to introduce you to Williams Lake’s sponsored puppy — Gertie.
She is looking forward to sharing photos and stories with you as she begins her training to become a life-changing service dog.
Gertie is expected to graduate in about 22 months time, and like you, we are excited to discover whether her personality is best suited to a career as a guide dog or as an autism support dog.
Gertie was born on Nov. 18, 2011 along with her three brothers Ferenc, Ryan and Gerry and one sister May. Their parents are Gillie and Hans, both Labrador retrievers.
This litter was conceived through artificial insemination using breeding stock generously shared with us by Guide Dogs Victoria, a highly reputed guide dog charity in Australia.
Exchanging breeding stock between guide dog schools increases genetic diversity and helps ensure healthy litters.
Gertie has been placed in her carefully selected volunteer puppy raiser home in Coquitlam, where she will remain until she is about 16 months old. During this time, she will become familiar with crowds, elevators, escalators, construction, buses and trains and learn to stop and sit at every curb and stoplight. Whenever she is out in public, she will wear a special puppy-in-training jacket. Every two weeks she will attend obedience class, where she will meet up with her siblings and other puppies in training. At home, Gertie will be taught to ring a bell on the door to let her puppy raiser know she needs to go outside to “get busy.”
She will also be expected to wait for a whistle to be blown before eating her meals, and to ignore crumbs and other items on the floor that might make her ill.
This is all part of the early discipline training that is necessary for Gertie to become a reliable partner for someone in the future.
Of course Gertie will have time to relax and play as well, so she will learn to understand that when she is not wearing her puppy-in-training jacket, she is “off-duty.”
Gertie has settled into her life with her new family. Her raisers are long-time volunteers and experienced, having raised two other puppies for us. They are loving this recent addition to their home.
From this point on, Gertie herself will be sending you regular updates about her adventures (with a little help from us humans, of course). We hope that Gertie will one day help a blind or visually impaired person or a family living with autism meet life’s challenges. For your participation in this process, thank you.
During the vision awareness open house held in Boitanio Mall, Feb. 10 Ashley Clark, mobility trainer with B.C. Guide Dogs/Autism Support Dogs in Delta, presented Mayor Kerry Cook with a complimentary community “Sponsor a Puppy” which comes with regular “Pupdates” on the lakecity’s guide dog in training.
B.C. Guide Dogs/Autism Support Dogs is entirely funded by donations.
Individual people and groups can also support the training of a puppy for as little as $60 a year and receive a picture and “Pupdates” at various intervals throughout the dogs training.